Mankind Has Inadvertently Created Hundreds of Minerals

There are tons of naturally-occurring minerals in the world; well over 4,000 to speak numerically, but up to 208 of those minerals in existence today are actually man-made.

Although many aren't made in a lab, simply excavating our planet exposes parts of the Earth to the elements that normally wouldn't be exposed, and this causes chemical reactions through which minerals can be born.

While most of these 4,000 minerals took over a billion years for mother nature to produce, the 208 man-made minerals have all been created in a very short period of time, which highlights just how big of an impact mankind can have on the planet.